Maple Shade council adopts housing code ordinance over broad public opposition

Maple Shade Township — The Maple Shade Township Council on Nov. 20 adopted Ordinance 2025-18, which adds a housing code to the municipal code and establishes a municipal inspection regime that will apply on certain real-estate transfers and rental units.

The adoption followed an extended public hearing in which homeowners, landlords, real-estate agents and former municipal officials urged the council to slow the process, form a broader stakeholder committee and narrow the scope. Residents raised concerns that inspection reports could become public records that insurance companies might use to cancel policies, that inspections would frequently arrive at the end of real-estate transactions and disrupt closings, and that the township lacks staffing and clear enforcement procedures.

"Don't do this ordinance — it was not in our best interest," said Karen Mrangelo of Overbrook Avenue, who asked whether inspection reports filed after a failed real-estate deal would become public and jeopardize homeowners' insurance.

Walder "Bud" Krnowski, a licensed realtor of four decades, told the council municipal inspections commonly come at the tail end of a sale and "they can be very, very disruptive to the real-estate transaction," citing scheduling delays and added costs. He said Maple Shade had operated without a townwide inspection program for decades and warned the borough would need to hire multiple inspectors and administrators to run one.

Several speakers suggested starting inspections with large multifamily complexes rather than single-family homes and urged the council to hold more committee sessions that include realtors, landlords and older residents who would be disproportionately affected.

Council members debated enforcement and grandfathering issues after the public portion closed. Council voted on the ordinance by roll call: Mr. Kaufman — yes; Miss Nunes — yes; Mr. Simons/Simon — no; Mr. Zerick/Zadnik — yes; Mayor Terico — yes, producing a 4–1 outcome in favor of adoption. The transcript did not specify who formally moved the adoption; the motion was recorded and seconded on the floor.

The ordinance sets inspection and compliance requirements, inspection fees and a framework for enforcement and municipal notices; the adopted version includes a checklist of conditions inspectors will review. Several public speakers and a former zoning officer cautioned the council that properties with missing historical permits or destroyed records could expose the township to litigation if enforcement sought upgrades on long-standing, grandfathered features.

Council and staff said the draft was narrowed and updated after earlier committee work. Township officials also said some provisions were modeled on practices in surrounding municipalities and that the Uniform Construction Code (UCCC) limits what the township may require for structures built prior to certain dates.

The council adopted the ordinance despite repeated calls from residents to postpone the vote, while several participants urged the township to put additional implementation details — staffing plans, appeal procedures, and privacy protections for inspection reports — into a public committee process before enforcement begins.

Next steps announced at the meeting included final administrative procedures and scheduling for implementation; the council did not specify an effective date in the public record. The ordinance is recorded on the agenda as Ordinance 2025-18.